The present invention relates to an apparatus for maintaining a user's thumb in a predetermined healing position.
Injuries to the thumb and adjacent muscles and ligaments commonly occur during many sports, including various types of football, basketball, cricket, baseball, and snow skiing. Such injuries can also occur during day-to-day activities through accidental falls or other mishaps.
The majority of these injuries involve damage to the ulnar collateral ligament of the metacarpal phalangeal joint (MCP joint) of the thumb, and may vary from minor sprains through to partial and complete tearing of the ligament. A complete tear requires immediate surgery, whilst other types of injuries may heal by themselves given adequate time and rest.
After injury or surgery, it is necessary to minimise strain on the ligament, thereby to promote faster and better healing. In the past, this has generally been achieved by means of standard bandages or taping. However, such measures require expert application, and moreover provide a relatively static support by binding the thumb against the adjacent hand.
There are available some splint and brace devices which are designed to immobilise the thumb in a particular position. One type utilises metallic or plastics splints within an elastic lycra or neoprene casing. In use, the splints lie along the outside of the thumb to maintain it in a particular position. Other types of splints are formed from rigid plastics materials designed to envelope the thumb.
A disadvantage of all these supports is that they tend to be cumbersome, and difficult to remove and apply, particularly if the wearer is in pain. Due to their passive nature, they do not enable use of the thumb in its usual capacity, and are not therefore able to be used as an injury prevention device. Furthermore, such splints generally fail to maintain the thumb in an optimal healing position as they often fail to position the thumb correctly.